Air2there airline grounded

Regional airline Air2there has been placed into receivership and a Piper Navajo and two engines have been seized.

The company was set up in 2004 as a city-hopper service based at Paraparaumu flying small aeroplanes between Wellington, Masterton, Blenheim and Palmerston North.

Its passengers included Department of Corrections prisoners, SPCA puppies, Air Force personnel, and even coffins.

The company’s owner since 2008, Richard Baldwin, could not be contacted but aviation consultant Irene King understood the company had lost its aviation operating certificate some weeks ago.

The companies placed into receivership included Air Wellington and Kingair.

Receiver John Fisk of PwC said he had yet to identify all debts but expected they would run into millions of dollars.

King said the services carried out by Air2there would have been relatively easily picked up by other operators such as Sounds Air, which flew some similar routes over Cook Strait.

Air2there faced new competition from late January 2015 when Sounds Air introduced thrice daily weekday flights between Paraparaumu and Blenheim. Sounds Air didn’t pick up the traffic it anticipated and reduced its schedule.

Air2there’s last flights took place in September or October.